I sat one evening in my laboratory; the sun had set, and the moon wasjust rising from the sea; I had not sufficient light for my employment,and I remained idle, in a pause of consideration of whether I shouldleave my labour for the night or hasten its conclusion by anunremitting attention to it. As I sat, a train of reflection occurredto me which led me to consider the effects of what I was now doing.Three years before, I was engaged in the same manner and had created afiend whose unparalleled barbarity had desolated my heart and filled itforever with the bitterest remorse. I was now about to form anotherbeing of whose dispositions I was alike ignorant; she might become tenthousand times more malignant than her mate and delight, for its ownsake, in murder and wretchedness. He had sworn to quit theneighbourhood of man and hide himself in deserts, but she had not; andshe, who in all probability was to become a thinking and reasoninganimal, might refuse to comply with a compact made before her creation.They might even hate each other; the creature who already lived loathedhis own deformity, and might he not conceive a greater abhorrence forit when it came before his eyes in the female form? She also mightturn with disgust from him to the superior beauty of man; she mightquit him, and he be again alone, exasperated by the fresh provocationof being deserted by one of his own species. Even if they were toleave Europe and inhabit the deserts of the new world, yet one of thefirst results of those sympathies for which the daemon thirsted wouldbe children, and a race of devils would be propagated upon the earthwho might make the very existence of the species of man a conditionprecarious and full of terror. Had I right, for my own benefit, toinflict this curse upon everlasting generations? I had before beenmoved by the sophisms of the being I had created; I had been strucksenseless by his fiendish threats; but now, for the first time, thewickedness of my promise burst upon me; I shuddered to think thatfuture ages might curse me as their pest, whose selfishness had nothesitated to buy its own peace at the price, perhaps, of the existenceof the whole human race.

I trembled and my heart failed within me, when, on looking up, I saw bythe light of the moon the daemon at the casement. A ghastly grinwrinkled his lips as he gazed on me, where I sat fulfilling the taskwhich he had allotted to me. Yes, he had followed me in my travels; hehad loitered in forests, hid himself in caves, or taken refuge in wideand desert heaths; and he now came to mark my progress and claim thefulfilment of my promise.

As I looked on him, his countenance expressed the utmost extent ofmalice and treachery. I thought with a sensation of madness on mypromise of creating another like to him, and trembling with passion,tore to pieces the thing on which I was engaged. The wretch saw medestroy the creature on whose future existence he depended forhappiness, and with a howl of devilish despair and revenge, withdrew.

I left the room, and locking the door, made a solemn vow in my ownheart never to resume my labours; and then, with trembling steps, Isought my own apartment. I was alone; none were near me to dissipatethe gloom and relieve me from the sickening oppression of the mostterrible reveries.

Several hours passed, and I remained near my window gazing on the sea;it was almost motionless, for the winds were hushed, and all naturereposed under the eye of the quiet moon. A few fishing vessels alonespecked the water, and now and then the gentle breeze wafted the soundof voices as the fishermen called to one another. I felt the silence,although I was hardly conscious of its extreme profundity, until my earwas suddenly arrested by the paddling of oars near the shore, and aperson landed close to my house.

In a few minutes after, I heard the creaking of my door, as if some oneendeavoured to open it softly. I trembled from head to foot; I felt apresentiment of who it was and wished to rouse one of the peasants whodwelt in a cottage not far from mine; but I was overcome by thesensation of helplessness, so often felt in frightful dreams, when youin vain endeavour to fly from an impending danger, and was rooted tothe spot. Presently I heard the sound of footsteps along the passage;the door opened, and the wretch whom I dreaded appeared.

Shutting the door, he approached me and said in a smothered voice, "Youhave destroyed the work which you began; what is it that you intend?Do you dare to break your promise? I have endured toil and misery; Ileft Switzerland with you; I crept along the shores of the Rhine, amongits willow islands and over the summits of its hills. I have dweltmany months in the heaths of England and among the deserts of Scotland.I have endured incalculable fatigue, and cold, and hunger; do you daredestroy my hopes?"

"Begone! I do break my promise; never will I create another likeyourself, equal in deformity and wickedness."

"Slave, I before reasoned with you, but you have proved yourselfunworthy of my condescension. Remember that I have power; you believeyourself miserable, but I can make you so wretched that the light ofday will be hateful to you. You are my creator, but I am your master;obey!"

"The hour of my irresolution is past, and the period of your power isarrived. Your threats cannot move me to do an act of wickedness; butthey confirm me in a determination of not creating you a companion invice. Shall I, in cool blood, set loose upon the earth a daemon whosedelight is in death and wretchedness? Begone! I am firm, and yourwords will only exasperate my rage."

The monster saw my determination in my face and gnashed his teeth inthe impotence of anger. "Shall each man," cried he, "find a wife forhis bosom, and each beast have his mate, and I be alone? I hadfeelings of affection, and they were requited by detestation andscorn. Man! You may hate, but beware! Your hours will pass in dreadand misery, and soon the bolt will fall which must ravish from youyour happiness forever. Are you to be happy while I grovel in theintensity of my wretchedness? You can blast my other passions, butrevenge remains--revenge, henceforth dearer than light or food! Imay die, but first you, my tyrant and tormentor, shall curse the sunthat gazes on your misery. Beware, for I am fearless and thereforepowerful. I will watch with the wiliness of a snake, that I may stingwith its venom. Man, you shall repent of the injuries you inflict."

"Devil, cease; and do not poison the air with these sounds of malice.I have declared my resolution to you, and I am no coward to bend beneathwords. Leave me; I am inexorable."

"It is well. I go; but remember, I shall be with you on yourwedding-night."

I started forward and exclaimed, "Villain! Before you sign mydeath-warrant, be sure that you are yourself safe."

I would have seized him, but he eluded me and quitted the house withprecipitation. In a few moments I saw him in his boat, which shotacross the waters with an arrowy swiftness and was soon lost amidst thewaves.

All was again silent, but his words rang in my ears. I burned withrage to pursue the murderer of my peace and precipitate him into theocean. I walked up and down my room hastily and perturbed, while myimagination conjured up a thousand images to torment and sting me. Whyhad I not followed him and closed with him in mortal strife? But I hadsuffered him to depart, and he had directed his course towards themainland. I shuddered to think who might be the next victim sacrificedto his insatiate revenge. And then I thought again of his words--"IWILL BE WITH YOU ON YOUR WEDDING-NIGHT." That, then, was the periodfixed for the fulfilment of my destiny. In that hour I should die andat once satisfy and extinguish his malice. The prospect did not moveme to fear; yet when I thought of my beloved Elizabeth, of her tearsand endless sorrow, when she should find her lover so barbarouslysnatched from her, tears, the first I had shed for many months,streamed from my eyes, and I resolved not to fall before my enemywithout a bitter struggle.

The night passed away, and the sun rose from the ocean; my feelingsbecame calmer, if it may be called calmness when the violence of ragesinks into the depths of despair. I left the house, the horrid sceneof the last night's contention, and walked on the beach of the sea,which I almost regarded as an insuperable barrier between me and myfellow creatures; nay, a wish that such should prove the fact stoleacross me.

I desired that I might pass my life on that barren rock, wearily, it istrue, but uninterrupted by any sudden shock of misery. If I returned,it was to be sacrificed or to see those whom I most loved die under thegrasp of a daemon whom I had myself created.

I walked about the isle like a restless spectre, separated from all itloved and miserable in the separation. When it became noon, and thesun rose higher, I lay down on the grass and was overpowered by a deepsleep. I had been awake the whole of the preceding night, my nerveswere agitated, and my eyes inflamed by watching and misery. The sleepinto which I now sank refreshed me; and when I awoke, I again felt asif I belonged to a race of human beings like myself, and I began toreflect upon what had passed with greater composure; yet still thewords of the fiend rang in my ears like a death-knell; they appearedlike a dream, yet distinct and oppressive as a reality.

The sun had far descended, and I still sat on the shore, satisfying myappetite, which had become ravenous, with an oaten cake, when I saw afishing-boat land close to me, and one of the men brought me a packet;it contained letters from Geneva, and one from Clerval entreating me tojoin him. He said that he was wearing away his time fruitlessly wherehe was, that letters from the friends he had formed in London desiredhis return to complete the negotiation they had entered into for hisIndian enterprise. He could not any longer delay his departure; but ashis journey to London might be followed, even sooner than he nowconjectured, by his longer voyage, he entreated me to bestow as much ofmy society on him as I could spare. He besought me, therefore, toleave my solitary isle and to meet him at Perth, that we might proceedsouthwards together. This letter in a degree recalled me to life, andI determined to quit my island at the expiration of two days. Yet,before I departed, there was a task to perform, on which I shuddered toreflect; I must pack up my chemical instruments, and for that purpose Imust enter the room which had been the scene of my odious work, and Imust handle those utensils the sight of which was sickening to me. Thenext morning, at daybreak, I summoned sufficient courage and unlockedthe door of my laboratory. The remains of the half-finished creature,whom I had destroyed, lay scattered on the floor, and I almost felt asif I had mangled the living flesh of a human being. I paused tocollect myself and then entered the chamber. With trembling hand Iconveyed the instruments out of the room, but I reflected that I oughtnot to leave the relics of my work to excite the horror and suspicionof the peasants; and I accordingly put them into a basket, with a greatquantity of stones, and laying them up, determined to throw them intothe sea that very night; and in the meantime I sat upon the beach,employed in cleaning and arranging my chemical apparatus.

Nothing could be more complete than the alteration that had taken placein my feelings since the night of the appearance of the daemon. I hadbefore regarded my promise with a gloomy despair as a thing that, withwhatever consequences, must be fulfilled; but I now felt as if a filmhad been taken from before my eyes and that I for the first time sawclearly. The idea of renewing my labours did not for one instant occurto me; the threat I had heard weighed on my thoughts, but I did notreflect that a voluntary act of mine could avert it. I had resolved inmy own mind that to create another like the fiend I had first madewould be an act of the basest and most atrocious selfishness, and Ibanished from my mind every thought that could lead to a differentconclusion.

Between two and three in the morning the moon rose; and I then, puttingmy basket aboard a little skiff, sailed out about four miles from theshore. The scene was perfectly solitary; a few boats were returningtowards land, but I sailed away from them. I felt as if I was aboutthe commission of a dreadful crime and avoided with shuddering anxietyany encounter with my fellow creatures. At one time the moon, whichhad before been clear, was suddenly overspread by a thick cloud, and Itook advantage of the moment of darkness and cast my basket into thesea; I listened to the gurgling sound as it sank and then sailed awayfrom the spot. The sky became clouded, but the air was pure, althoughchilled by the northeast breeze that was then rising. But it refreshedme and filled me with such agreeable sensations that I resolved toprolong my stay on the water, and fixing the rudder in a directposition, stretched myself at the bottom of the boat. Clouds hid themoon, everything was obscure, and I heard only the sound of the boat asits keel cut through the waves; the murmur lulled me, and in a shorttime I slept soundly. I do not know how long I remained in thissituation, but when I awoke I found that the sun had already mountedconsiderably. The wind was high, and the waves continually threatenedthe safety of my little skiff. I found that the wind was northeast andmust have driven me far from the coast from which I had embarked. Iendeavoured to change my course but quickly found that if I again madethe attempt the boat would be instantly filled with water. Thussituated, my only resource was to drive before the wind. I confessthat I felt a few sensations of terror. I had no compass with me andwas so slenderly acquainted with the geography of this part of theworld that the sun was of little benefit to me. I might be driven intothe wide Atlantic and feel all the tortures of starvation or beswallowed up in the immeasurable waters that roared and buffeted aroundme. I had already been out many hours and felt the torment of aburning thirst, a prelude to my other sufferings. I looked on theheavens, which were covered by clouds that flew before the wind, onlyto be replaced by others; I looked upon the sea; it was to be my grave."Fiend," I exclaimed, "your task is already fulfilled!" I thought ofElizabeth, of my father, and of Clerval--all left behind, on whom themonster might satisfy his sanguinary and merciless passions. This ideaplunged me into a reverie so despairing and frightful that even now,when the scene is on the point of closing before me forever, I shudderto reflect on it.

Some hours passed thus; but by degrees, as the sun declined towards thehorizon, the wind died away into a gentle breeze and the sea becamefree from breakers. But these gave place to a heavy swell; I felt sickand hardly able to hold the rudder, when suddenly I saw a line of highland towards the south.

Almost spent, as I was, by fatigue and the dreadful suspense I enduredfor several hours, this sudden certainty of life rushed like a flood ofwarm joy to my heart, and tears gushed from my eyes.

How mutable are our feelings, and how strange is that clinging love wehave of life even in the excess of misery! I constructed another sailwith a part of my dress and eagerly steered my course towards theland. It had a wild and rocky appearance, but as I approached nearer Ieasily perceived the traces of cultivation. I saw vessels near theshore and found myself suddenly transported back to the neighbourhoodof civilized man. I carefully traced the windings of the land andhailed a steeple which I at length saw issuing from behind a smallpromontory. As I was in a state of extreme debility, I resolved tosail directly towards the town, as a place where I could most easilyprocure nourishment. Fortunately I had money with me.

As I turned the promontory I perceived a small neat town and a goodharbour, which I entered, my heart bounding with joy at my unexpectedescape.

As I was occupied in fixing the boat and arranging the sails, severalpeople crowded towards the spot. They seemed much surprised at myappearance, but instead of offering me any assistance, whisperedtogether with gestures that at any other time might have produced in mea slight sensation of alarm. As it was, I merely remarked that theyspoke English, and I therefore addressed them in that language. "Mygood friends," said I, "will you be so kind as to tell me the name ofthis town and inform me where I am?"

"You will know that soon enough," replied a man with a hoarse voice."Maybe you are come to a place that will not prove much to your taste,but you will not be consulted as to your quarters, I promise you."

I was exceedingly surprised on receiving so rude an answer from astranger, and I was also disconcerted on perceiving the frowning andangry countenances of his companions. "Why do you answer me soroughly?" I replied. "Surely it is not the custom of Englishmen toreceive strangers so inhospitably."

"I do not know," said the man, "what the custom of the English may be,but it is the custom of the Irish to hate villains." While this strangedialogue continued, I perceived the crowd rapidly increase. Theirfaces expressed a mixture of curiosity and anger, which annoyed and insome degree alarmed me.

I inquired the way to the inn, but no one replied. I then movedforward, and a murmuring sound arose from the crowd as they followedand surrounded me, when an ill-looking man approaching tapped me on theshoulder and said, "Come, sir, you must follow me to Mr. Kirwin's togive an account of yourself."

"Who is Mr. Kirwin? Why am I to give an account of myself? Is notthis a free country?"

"Ay, sir, free enough for honest folks. Mr. Kirwin is a magistrate,and you are to give an account of the death of a gentleman who wasfound murdered here last night."

This answer startled me, but I presently recovered myself. I wasinnocent; that could easily be proved; accordingly I followed myconductor in silence and was led to one of the best houses in thetown. I was ready to sink from fatigue and hunger, but beingsurrounded by a crowd, I thought it politic to rouse all my strength,that no physical debility might be construed into apprehension orconscious guilt. Little did I then expect the calamity that was in afew moments to overwhelm me and extinguish in horror and despair allfear of ignominy or death. I must pause here, for it requires all myfortitude to recall the memory of the frightful events which I am aboutto relate, in proper detail, to my recollection.

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